Peggy and Molly are sisters and best friends growing up in the countryside of England in the 1700s, daughters of the soon-to-be prolific painter, Thomas Gainsborough. The two are always getting into trouble together, much to the chagrin of their mother, who wishes her daughters to be proper ladies. They idolize their father for his free spirit and indulgence in their sense of arventure.

Despite their ages, Peggy is forced to take the leadership role in their relationship when Molly begins exhibiting signs of mental illness. Fearful that if anyone finds out, Molly will be sent away, the girls swear to keep her issues a secret. But as Molly grows more and more erratic, Peggy falls further and further in her parents’ esteem in her attempts to cover for her sister. Eventually, the family departs for Bath, in hopes that the bustle of city life and introduction to high society will motivate the girls to more ladylike aspirations. However, the more people around, the more pressure on Peggy to keep Molly’s secret. And as the girls grow older and more marriageable, Peggy wonders how there can be room for any other type of love in their lives.

This story spans decades of the Gainsborough girls’ lives, and cuts back and forth between them and the story of Meg, a small-town innkeeper’s daughter and her overwhelming desire to escape her circumstances.

The writing is accessible but still fitting for historical fiction, and I found myself highlighting tons of lines. I particularly loved the descriptions and symbolism using colors and art styles, and how beautifully it depicted Peggy’s view of the world. The love and tension between the sisters and all of the characters’ growing disillusionment with men and the society they’ve built cuts so deeply, I’ll be thinking about it for a while. I am uncultured swine so didn’t realize until I’d finished the book and got to the author’s note that this was based on real people and their stories, so that made it even more of a gut punch. Beautiful story, beautiful writing, and I recommend to anyone who loves historical fiction. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!